As I prepared my notes in my hotel room some hours before the conference on the freedom of expression in Copenhagen, I was thinking of what I should tell the Danish about freedom of speech. Should I just share my experiences and the horrible consequences of our fight in “non-democratic” countries like Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and...

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — One year ago, Ihor Zastavnyi was shot three times and lost a leg while taking part in demonstrations that he hoped would lead to a better Ukraine. Today he faces a country that is racked by war, struggling with corruption and pleading to the world for financial help while still stinging from Russia’s annexation Crimea....

Fighting in Ukraine has shifted from the western front near Debaltseve to the Azov Sea port city of Mariupol, a once bustling city along a crucial land route that would connect rebel-held territory with Russian-annexed Crimea, providing an economic corridor essential to Crimea’s economic viability as a Russian territory. Mariupol lies just...

Relations between the US and Russia are as bad as they’ve been since the end of the Cold War. But until 2013, the two countries collaborated on a largely unknown diplomatic, political, and trade initiative that eliminated 500 tons of weapons-grade uranium while providing 7 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity in the US. The Megatons to...

The overnight deal that last week brought a “cease fire” to Ukraine was always tinged with peril. As we wrote at the time, it was easy for Putin to sign the deal knowing he could re-assume his aggressive behavior whenever he felt like it, since there’s clearly nothing the West is going to do to stop him. …read more Source: Canada Free...

MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin says he will not allow anyone to get a military advantage over Russia and pledges that the country will never yield to foreign pressure. In a tough statement that comes amid tensions with the West over Ukraine, Putin warned Friday that “no one should have any illusions that it’s possible to achieve...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday other countries should not think they can attain military superiority over Russia, Interfax reported. “No one should have the illusion that they can gain military superiority over Russia, put any kind of pressure on it. We will always have an adequate answer for any such adventures,”...